On April 16, the results of the "Yangtze River Sturgeon Natural Water Spawning Ground Transformation and Natural Reproduction Experiment" led by the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences passed the expert appraisal in Jiang'an County, Yibin, Sichuan, marking the first successful transformation of the Yangtze River sturgeon spawning ground and natural reproduction experiment in the natural waters of the Yangtze River sturgeon in mainland China, filling a key link in the reconstruction of the Yangtze sturgeon population in the wild.
On April 16, the results of the "Yangtze River Sturgeon Natural Water Spawning Ground Transformation and Natural Reproduction Experiment" passed the expert appraisal in Jiang'an County, Yibin, Sichuan
At the appraisal meeting, more than 50 expert representatives from the Fishery Administration Supervision and Management Office of the Yangtze River Basin of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Branch of the National Wildlife Conservation Association, and the agricultural departments and scientific research units of relevant provincial and municipal governments formed appraisal opinions through the investigation of the test site, listening to the report of the project results, and questioning and discussing.
The waters of the Yibin Jiang'an section of the Yangtze River
On March 14, staff laid a barrage net for the spawning ground at the Yangtze River sturgeon breeding test site in natural waters
On March 19, researchers used a Doppler velocimeter to measure the flow rate of water and the topography of the spawning grounds
Cao Wenxuan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the expert appraisal team (online) of the experimental results, said that the success of the spawning ground transformation and natural reproduction experiment of the Yangtze sturgeon in natural waters is very worthy of congratulations.
On March 22, at the Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals, researchers measured and weighed the Yangtze sturgeon that was about to be introduced into the test site
On March 22, researchers and staff from the fishery administration and Changhang public security departments put the Yangtze sturgeon into a spawning ground in the transformed natural waters
Zhang Xianliang, a researcher at the China Pelagic Fisheries Association, said: "The success of the trial is very heartening and a crucial step in rebuilding the wild population of the Yangtze sturgeon, which is very meaningful. ”
Du Hao, a researcher at the Yangtze River Institute of the Chinese Academy of Water Sciences, is observing underwater surveillance
The Yangtze sturgeon is a rare and endemic fish in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and belongs to the national first-class key protected wild animals. Scientific research shows that since 2000, the wild breeding of Yangtze sturgeon has stopped. In July 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources declared the Yangtze sturgeon extinct in the wild, and in order to restore the wild population of the Yangtze sturgeon, this year's experiment chose to set up a test area of nearly 20,000 square meters in the waters of the Yangtze River Zhudao Jiajiang River in Jiang'an County, simulating the spawning environment required by the Yangtze sturgeon in the natural waters. On March 22, 31 males and 31 females were released into the experimental area.
Du Hao, a researcher at the Yangtze River Institute of the Chinese Academy of Water Sciences and the chief of the Yangtze River Sturgeon Natural Water Spawning Ground Transformation and Natural Reproduction Experimental Project, said that the focus of the experiment is to transform the topography, substrate and flow velocity field of the experimental area to meet the smooth substrate, appropriate flow rate and water temperature required for the natural reproduction of the Yangtze sturgeon.
Underwater surveillance footage captured fish showing similar breeding behaviors such as top current, chasing, and tail swinging
After overcoming the difficulties of laying the substrate, water flow, and water temperature of the spawning ground, on March 31, the underwater camera surveillance footage recorded for the first time that the broodstock had reproduction behaviors such as top flow, chasing, and tail swinging. On April 6, surveillance footage again captured male and female fish chasing tails and mating, accompanied by the appearance of fish eggs. On April 10, the eggs began to hatch. Through the monitoring and verification of fertilized egg collection and in-situ incubation, the number of eggs produced by the Yangtze sturgeon was about 480,000, the proportion of female sturgeon was about 22.5%, and the fertilization rate was 83%.
On April 7, the Yangtze sturgeon laid its eggs at the breeding test site in natural waters
Liu Jianyi, a researcher at the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Water Sciences, said that the success of the experiment has taken an important step in the recovery and reconstruction of the wild population of the Yangtze sturgeon.
On April 16, the results of "Yangtze River Sturgeon Natural Water Spawning Ground Transformation and Natural Reproduction Experiment" were displayed
Chang Jianbo, director of the Institute of Water Ecology of the School of Water Resources and Hydropower of Wuhan University and head of the expert appraisal team (offline) of the experimental results, said: "The experiment has solved many scientific and technical problems, and we are very confident that the wild population of the Yangtze sturgeon can be restored after many years of continuous spawning ground renovation and restocking. ”
Source: Yiren Yibin APP